Radio control system and radio control method

• US 6,661,351 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2000
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CCP hf (PearlAbyss Corp.)
• Original Assignee: CCP hf (PearlAbyss Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsushiro, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, CLARA I
• Application Number:
  US09/618,257
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.69, 340/825, 340/825.57, 340/825.62, 340/10.2, 446/456, 463/1, 463/36, 463/39, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169
• US Class Current: 340/12.5
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0025 in a remote control unit remote control tuning in general H03J9/00

Abstract

The same ID is assigned to a pair of a plurality of transmitters 100 and RC cars 200. The transmitter 100 transmits a radio wave signal embodying command signal defining movement of a target RC car 200, and ID indicating the target RC car 200. The RC car 200 receives the radio wave signal, and is driven in accordance with the command signal embodied in the received radio wave signal when the ID in the received radio wave signal coincides with the receiver'"'"'s ID.

Claims

1. A radio control system having pluralities of transmitters and receivers, wherein

each of said transmitters comprises:

input means for inputting a command signal in accordance with the user'"'"'s operation;

target designation means for designating target ID information which specifies a target receiver;

mode select means for selecting one of plural transmission modes in accordance with the target ID information; and

transmission means for transmitting a radio wave signal representing the target ID information and the command signal in accordance with the selected transmission mode,

each of said receivers comprises;

drive means for receiving the radio wave signal;

receiver designation means for designating receiver ID information which specifies said receiver itself;

extraction means for extracting the target ID information and the command signal from the radio wave signal received by said reception means; and

signal conversion means for discriminating whether the extracted target ID information coincides with the receiver ID information, and for converting the extracted command signal into a drive signal if the coincidence is found; and

drive control means for driving said drive means in accordance with the drive signal;

wherein said transmission mode designates a cycle for intermittent transmission which differs in accordance with the target ID information, the cycles for intermittent transmissions for different ID information are different with each other, length (CB,CC,CD,CE) of the cycle for each of the intermittent transmission is determined as a product of a predetermined period (PA) and a prime number (5, 7, 11, 13 . . . ), the predetermined period is common to the different ID information, and said transmission means transmits the modulation signal during the predetermined period.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second signal conversion means converts the extracted command signal into the drive signal in accordance with the drive type information included in the command signal.

3. A radio control system having pluralities of transmitters and receivers, wherein

each of said transmitters comprises:

carrier wave generation means for generating a carrier wave signal corresponding to one of plurality frequency bands;

input means for inputting a command signal in accordance with the user'"'"'s operation;

target designation means for designating target ID information which specifies a target receiver;

mode select means for selecting one of plural transmission modes in accordance with the target ID information;

first signal conversion means for converting the target ID information and the command signal into a modulation signal in accordance with the selected modulation signal; and

transmission means for transmitting a radio wave signal resulting from modulating the carrier wave signal by the modulation signal,

said each of said receiver comprises;

drive means for movably driving said receiver;

reception means receiving a radio wave signal corresponding to one of plural frequency bands;

receiver designation means for designating receiver ID information which identifies said receiver itself;

demodulation means for demodulating the radio wave signal received by said reception means to extract the target ID information and the command signal;

second signal conversion means for converting the extracted command signal into a drive signal when the extracted target ID information coincides with the receiver ID information; and

drive control means for controlling said drive means in accordance with the drive signal;

wherein said transmission mode designates a cycle for intermittent transmission which differs in accordance with the target ID information, the cycles for intermittent transmissions for different ID information are different with each other, length (CB,CC,CD,CE) of the cycle for each of the intermittent transmission is determined as a product of a predetermined period (PA) and a prime numbers (5, 7, 11, 13 . . . ), the predetermined period is common to the different ID information, and said transmission means transmits the modulation signal during the predetermined period.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said first signal conversion means compresses the command signal and the target ID information before carrying out the signal conversion.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein said target designation means outputs drive type information which designates a type of said drive means of the target receiver, and

said first signal conversion means converts the command signal into the modulation signal in accordance with the drive type information.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein said target designation means and said receiver designation means are operable by a user to designate the target ID information and the receiver ID information.

7. A radio control method comprising the steps of:

inputting a command signal in accordance with the user'"'"'s operation;

designating target ID information which specifies a target receiver;

selecting one of plural transmission modes in accordance with the target ID information;

transmitting a radio wave signal representing the target ID information and the command signal;

receiving the radio wave signal whose transmission mode corresponds to receiver ID information assigned to a receiver, and extracting the target ID information and the command signal included in the received radio wave signal;

converting the extracted command signal into a drive signal when the extracted target ID information coincides with the receiver ID information; and

executing actions in accordance with the drive signal;

wherein said transmission mode designates a cycle for intermittent transmission which differs in accordance with the target ID information, the cycles for intermittent transmissions for different ID information are different with each other, length (CB,CC,CD,CE) of the cycle for each of the intermittent transmission is determined as a product of a predetermined period (PA) and a prime number (5, 7, 11, 13 . . . ), the predetermined period is common to the different ID information, and in said transmission step the modulation signal is transmitted during the predetermined period.

8. A radio control method comprising the steps of:

generating a carrier wave signal corresponding to one of plural frequency bands;

inputting a command signal in accordance with the user'"'"'s operation;

designating target ID information which specifies a target receiver;

selecting one of plural transmission modes in accordance with the target ID information;

converting the target ID information and the command into a modulation signal in accordance with the selected transmission mode;

modulating the carrier wave signal by the resultant modulates signal to embody the target ID information and the command signal in a radio wave signal, and transmitting the radio wave signal;

receiving the radio wave signal corresponding to a specific frequency band;

designating receiver ID information which identifies a receiver;

demodulating the received radio wave signal to extract the target ID information and the command signal;

converting the extracted command signal into a drive signal when the extracted target ID information coincides with the receiver ID information; and

driving said target receiver in accordance with the drive signal;

wherein said transmission mode designates a cycle for intermittent transmission which differs in accordance with the target ID information, the cycles for intermittent transmissions for different ID information are different with each other, length (CB,CC,CD,CE) of the cycle for each of the intermittent transmission is determined as a product of a predetermined period (PA) and a prime number (5, 7, 11, 13 . . . ), the predetermined period is common to the different ID information, and in said transmission step the modulation signal is transmitted during the predetermined period.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of converting the extracted command signal converts the extracted command signal into the drive signal in accordance with the drive type information included therein.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of converting the command signal and the target ID information compresses the command signal and the target ID information before the conversion.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein said target ID information designating step outputs drive type information which designates drive type of the target receiver, and

said step of converting the command signal converts the command signal in accordance with the set drive type information.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said steps of designating the target ID information and the receiver ID information designate the target ID information and the receiver ID information in accordance with the user'"'"'s operation.

13. A transmitter for a radio control system having a plurality of transmitters and receivers assigned to said transmitters respectively, comprising:

input means for inputting a command signal in accordance with the user'"'"'s operation;

target designating means for designating target ID information which specifies a target receiver;

mode select means for selecting one of plural transmission modes in accordance with the target ID information; and

transmission means for transmitting a radio wave signal representing the target ID information and the command signal, in accordance with the selected transmission mode;

wherein said transmission mode designates a cycle for intermittent transmission which differs in accordance with the target ID information, the cycles for intermittent transmissions for different ID information are different with each other, length (CB,CC,CD,CE) of the cycle for each of the intermittent transmission is determined as a product of a predetermined period (PA) and a prime number 5, 7, 11, 13 . . . ), the predetermined period is common to the different ID information, and in said transmission step the modulation signal is transmitted during the predetermined period.

14. A receiver for a radio control system having pluralities of transmitters and receiver, comprising:

drive means for movably drives said receiver;

reception means for receiving a radio wave signal;

receiver designation means for designating receiver ID information which identifies said receiver itself;

demodulation means for extracting target ID information and a command signal included in a radio wave signal received by said reception means;

signal conversion means for discriminating whether the extracted target ID information coincides with the receiver ID information, and for converting the extracted command signal into a drive signal when the coincidence is found; and

drive control means for controlling said drive means in accordance with the drive signal;

wherein said transmission mode designates a cycle for intermittent transmission which differs in accordance with the target ID information, the cycles for intermittent transmissions for different ID information are different with each other, length (CB,CC,CD,CE) of the cycle for each of the intermittent transmission is determined as a product of a predetermined period (PA) and a prime number (5, 7, 11, 13 . . . ), the predetermined period is common to the different ID information, and in said transmission means transmits the modulation signal is transmitted during the predetermined period.

15. A controller for a radio control system having pluralities of transmitters and receivers, comprising:

carrier wave generation means for generating a carrier wave signal corresponding to one of plural frequency bands;

input means for inputting a command signal in accordance with the user'"'"'s operation;

target designation means for designating target ID information which specifies a target receiver;

mode select means for selecting one of plural transmission modes in accordance with the target ID information;

signal conversion means for converting the target ID information and the command signal into a modulation signal in accordance with the selected transmission mode; and

transmission means for transmitting a radio wave signal resulting from modulating the carrier wave signal by the modulation signal;

wherein said transmission mode designates a cycle for intermittent transmission which differs in accordance with the target ID information, the cycles for intermittent transmissions for different ID information are different with each other, length (CB,CC,CD,CE) of the cycle for each of the intermittent transmission is determined as a product of a predetermined period (PA) and a prime number (5, 7, 11, 13 . . . ), the predetermined period is common to the different ID information, and said transmission means transmits the modulation signal during the predetermined period.